Abolish discriminatory health insurance system for elderly: JCP Koike

Japan Press Weekly

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Abolish discriminatory health insurance system for elderly: JCP Koike

Japanese Communist Party representative Koike Akira called for the abolition of the new health insurance system for the elderly aged 75 and older at the October15 House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting. “The public anger is mounting at the fourth automatic deduction (of premiums) carried out today. To scrap the system is the people’s demand,” he said.

The new medical insurance system, introduced in April this year, removes the elderly aged 75 and over from the existing health insurance programs and discriminates against them in medical services. In addition, their insurance premiums are forcibly deducted from their pension payments.

On October 15, 4.3 million people were added to the list of the elderly (aged 65 and over) whose premiums for the health insurance are automatically deducted every two months.

The government argues that the new health insurance system has lowered the premiums of the insurance for 70 percent of the people enrolled in this system.

In the Diet discussion, Koike revealed that the argument is false and criticized the government for arguing as if the new system has lowered the people’s medical burdens.

According to Koike, the “70 percent” number was calculated and announced in June without counting 2.35 million people who were to be newly added on October 15 to the list of the automatic deduction of the premiums.

Koike also said that the number was calculated based on 12 types of households chosen by the Health Ministry intentionally, not at random.

The JCP representative also revealed that the premiums will be automatically increased every two years as the population of the elderly over 75 years old increases.

The current average premium, 6,000 yen, will become 8,000 yen in 2015, 13,000 yen in 2025, and 21,000 yen in 2025, Koike said.

“It is necessary to change the policies of cutting social insurance programs and increasing public burdens as they discourage people from spending money. As the first step, the new medical insurance system should be abolished,” said Koike.

- Akahata, October 16, 2008